But that’s not the only reason the royal fellow on the logo is grinning from ear to ear.

After years of wallowing in neglect with dwindling sales, a beer warehouse emporium is brewing up business again under new ownership.

Under the dust and chaos of the Valley Forge Shopping Center construction, the old Valley Forge Beverage has sprung back to life as King of Prussia Beer Outlet, with more beers in store than ever, and a logo fit for a king.

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The father and son team of Gary Karakelian and Pete Karakelian purchased the 50-year-old beer distributorship and the accompanying Valley Forge Car Wash as a package deal last fall.

Having built their reputations as savvy car wash moguls — for convincing evidence on that front you need look no further than the West Norriton Car Wash on Egypt Road — the men gamely took on the floundering beer business, while prepping the car wash for a whale of a renovation, expected later this year.

“You can actually get a good car wash here for $5 now. I wasn’t looking to get into the beer business too, but I’m learning,” said Pete Karakelian with a laugh.

Starting with an inventory of just three cases of beer, Karakelian, who handles the day to day operations, certainly had his work cut out for him.

“They had the doors open here but they weren’t selling anything,” he said. “They let the place get run down and didn’t want to put any money into it.”

The business got its start on the other side of the center in 1963, moving to the present location 10 years later.

Owner Art Goldstein, who had negotiated a lease-purchase arrangement, had passed away in 2005, and things had increasingly gone downhill, as Goldstein’s widow waited for the right buyer to come along, allowed Karakelian.

Despite the imminent construction gearing up for Target’s arrival, father and son knew the time was right to close the deal on the property last October, he said.

“We couldn’t have waited. This is a fantastic piece of property, and when you get the opportunity to buy a location the deal’s got to get done and you can’t really worry about what’s going on around you. But the construction is crushing the business,” added Karakelian with a frown. “People used to access the beer store through the shopping center by just driving around and right now they can’t do that. And with the big piles of dirt and construction fences everywhere they don’t even know we’re open. But we have to look ahead to the benefits we’re going to get when the center is done.”

In the meantime, with the help of knowledgeable manager Brian Huston, who’s been hooking up beer connoisseurs with their favorite brews here since the early ’80s, the beer store who would be king is winning back old customers and attracting new ones.

“Now we have 3,000 or 4,000 cases of beer here,” Karakelian said. “Our pricing is the best in town. Before we do a big investment we’re waiting to see about any regulation changes they make this year. Right now we’re kind of the status quo and carry a little bit of everything.”

Even with a king leading the comeback, the little beer guys still have to go up against royal competition like Wegmans, said Karakelian, a West Chester native who now lives in Collegeville.

“A lot of the guys in the business say that actually helps us, because people don’t want to go and spend five times what they should spend on beer. They go to Wegmans and sample it, and then come here to buy it. Hard work, good service and getting the beers our customers want … I think that will be the formula here.”

The car wash industry has come a long way since Gary Karakelian launched his first sudsing operation in Aston back in 1972, but with this seasoned developer at the helm, you can expect the King of Prussia Autowash & Detail Center to be the crowning glory of the property’s kingly makeover.

“I think a car wash is a real part of the community, and we intend to do a huge fundraiser for our opening, which will hopefully be around Thanksgiving,” Karakelian said.